Would the Patriots tight end consider returning to one of his many former stomping grounds?

"Haha. I don't know," Bennett, a pending free agent, said Monday night when asked if he may consider returning to the Giants, who have a pressing need to add a tight end who can both block and play a vertical role in their passing attack. "But I always loved it there. (General manager) Jerry Reese and all those guys are great, the Mara and Tisch families are one of the best owners in the world. I liked it up there."

Bennett has become a star in his one (and potentially only) season with the Patriots, due to his oversized personality - a rarity for a Patriot in public - and on-field play. Bennett has been integral to the Patriots' offense this year, catching 55 passes for 701 yards and seven touchdowns in the regular season and six for 36 yards so far this postseason, despite battling knee and ankle injuries.

But will Bill Belichick and the Patriots open the checkbook to bring him back, especially with the banged-up Rob Gronkowski already on the books (and angling for a new deal)? That remains to be seen.

Bennett, a Houston native who spent his first four years in Dallas, first became a starter with the Giants. The team took a chance on him as a free agent in 2012, and he caught 55 passes for 626 yards and five scores. Salary cap issues hamstrung the Giants the following offseason, though, and Bennett was allowed to walk to the Bears.

The Giants have been hurting for tight end production ever since.

"I love the Giants," said Bennett, who was traded to the Patriots by the Bears this past offseason. "That was one of my favorite organizations ever. A lot of guys have been on the same team for so long, so they always ask me about other organizations, and I always tell them how awesome the Giants were.

"It was my first chance to really be a starter. Playing with Eli Manning, who is one of the best quarterbacks of all time to me, and with the guys I had at the time - Hakeem Nicks, Ahmad Bradshaw, Victor Cruz - everybody was in their prime, and it was just a great group of guys. ... That time was a period of all the stuff that I watched in my first four years, trying to bring it together and finding my own way of doing it, and becoming myself as a player."

The Giants will have more financial flexibility this offseason if they want to make a run at Bennett, 29, and pair him with Jerell Adams and Will Tye at tight end in 2017. They also may have a secret weapon to try to lure Bennett with.

"They had the best food," he recalled. "The kitchen, the food was so delicious. It's part of the reason why I signed there as a free agent. Because the food was good, which is important in a job, you know. It's like a perk."

Bennett raved about his year playing for former Giants coach Tom Coughlin and ex-tight ends coach Mike Pope, who he called "one of the greatest tight end coaches of all time." Both men are no longer with the team, but Bennett has many fond memories, as well as an affection for the area.

"It was a phenomenal year for me in life. New York changed me as a human being," he said. "I always say that in Texas you can be a horse, but in New York you can be a unicorn. It was a very impactful year, not only on the field, but as a person as well. I grew up a lot there."